The Hiatus Chronicles
by IAMJerry262
Summary: The many adventures of Toa Lesovikk during his Hiatus period.
1. Chapter 1

The Hiatus Chronicles

The Hiatus Chronicles

As Told By Sarda, Former Matoran of Mahri Nui

Recorded by IAMJerry262

The Pit.

Several months before the Toa Nuva reach Karda Nui.

Lesovikk, Toa of Air and Sarda, former Ta-Matoran of Mahri Nui were swimming through the uncharted waters of the Pit. Having just defeated the crazed jailer of Matoran, Karzanhi, they set a coarse for the unknown. Sarda had become mutated by the Pit's tainted waters and now had become a water breather. Lesovikk was now also confined to the mass ocean.

Sarda turned to Lesovikk.

"You're not talking much." He said.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Lesovikk.

"You mentioned you became a wanderer. What happened all of those years you were traveling around the universe?"

The Toa of Air smiled, ever so briefly.

"Ok I will tell you all the stories I have to tell. I will start at why I became a wanderer. It was because I failed to protect my friends, and it wasn't going to be the last time I did that either."

Unknown island north of Stelt.

Almost 100,000 years ago.

Toa Lesovikk stood on the beach of his island home. He and his teammates were sent by the Great Spirit to protect the island's Matoran population. He was chosen to lead the team of Nikila, Toa of Lighting; Tasar, Toa of Fire; Desba; Toa of Sonics; Feron, Toa of Iron; Potreu, Toa of Stone; Totron, Toa of Gravity; and Galka, Toa of Water. Lesovikk had lived on the island for several years now, protecting the local Matoran from Zyglak attacks and a variety of other invaders.

"Toa Lesovikk!" The Toa of Air turned to see Idris, a local Ga-Matoran of the island. Her eyes were wide with fear despite her tone of voice.

"What is it, Idris?" asked Lesovikk.

"There is a large being here. He wants to speak with you and the other Toa."

"What does he look like?"

"He's…massive. He looks like he could tear a Muaka tiger easily in two and he has red and silver armor."

"Where are the other Toa?"

"Sarda and the others went to go find them. We must hurry."

Lesovikk nodded and followed the Ga-Matoran into the town. There, a massive being stood among the Matoran, making them appear to be the size of Hoto bugs. As he got closer he could see the scratches and chips in the being armor. This being, whoever he was, was obviously very skilled in combat.

"Are you Lesovikk, first Toa of Air and leader of the first team of Toa?" The being asked him in a deep voice.

"I am. And may I ask who are you and your purpose here on our island?" said Lesovikk back.

"My name is Axxon. I am loyal being of the Great Spirit, as you are as well. I have come with a message, or more of a request, from the Great Spirit."

"What is this 'request'?" asked Lesovikk.

"I cannot tell you here. It is supposed to be heard by only you and your team. If you will follow me to my ship." He pointed a massive finger at a large seafaring ship on the shore some 50 bios away. The Toa followed him to the ship, where Axxon lead them into the ship's cabin. He shut the door behind them and turned to the Toa.

"Now, about your mission." He unrolled a map on a piece of parchment onto a table. "You are to travel here, the island of Nyrah." He said, pointing to a island on the map. "It is home to a group of highly skilled Fe-Matoran. They are there crafting special devices and other things for the Great Spirit and his people. You are to check on their progress and report back to me."

"But why us? We must protect the Matoran here. Why could some other Toa do it?" asked Desba.

"The Great Spirit requested you take on the mission specifically. He trusts you above all other Toa. And I cannot go, because I have my own role to fill the Great Spirit needs at this time."

"What about our Matoran friends? Someone must be here to protect them." Said Totron.

"The island here is protected by many natural obstacles. Only those who know of its position are able to enter it. Also, the Great Spirit has placed a protective barrier around the island until you return, to ensure the safety of your Matoran."

"When do we leave?" asked Lesovikk.

"Immediately. This ship is on a automatic pilot. It will bring you to the island in a matter of days, and you may return as soon as you are done viewing the Matoran's work."

Axxon turned to leave.

"Wait!" cried Nikila. But Axxon did not turn back. The Toa watched as he jumped down from the ship and pushed the boat off shore. It gave a lurch and turned away from the island. The Toa watched as Axxon disappeared into a large black and purple vortex and vanished from view. The Toa turned to each other, all wondering the same thing.

_What have we done?_

Several days later.

Somewhere out at sea.

After days at the sea, the Toa began to worry about their Matoran friends back home. They had left them with out saying goodbye and without warning. Galka was especially worried. She spent more and more time predicting more and more horrible outcomes for the local Matoran. Tarsa had more than once brought her below deck to calm her nerves. Lesovikk held Axxon's map in his hands as he gazed out at the sea. Nikila approached him.

"You think we did the right thing?" she asked, not turning to look at Lesovikk.

"Our duty is to fulfill the Great Spirit's wishes. If that means leaving our island, then we must do so."

"I am just still a little worried about that Axxon character. I had never known any other being close to the Great Spirit. I think we shouldn't leave just because some giant says we have too."

"Quiet. Do you want to set Galka off again?" said Potreu. The Toa of Lighting looked at the Ga-Toa, laughing next to Tarsa.

"She does make a point, Potreu. We did just leave our island without any sound evidence." Said Lesovikk.

"I have heard rumors of an organization loyal to the Great Spirit. I believe they call themselves, "The Heart of Artakha" or something. They are said to be a secret, so as to not attract to much attention from groups like the Dark Hunters and Frostelus."

"Really? A secret group of beings other than the Toa to protect Matoran? Really Potreu? Where did you hear such a thing from?"

"A Matoran from the island of Artakha. He was traveling with some others to sell their goods to other islands. He said several of their members had stopped their with a team of Toa before they left with some supplies."

Nikila looked unconvinced, but said nothing. She turned to Lesovikk.

"How much longer until we get there?"

"We should be there any…"

"LAND HOE!" cried Feron, leaning out of the Gukko's nest. The Toa looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a small island off in the distance. The Toa readied to go ashore as the ship guided itself into a small bay. The Toa watched as the ship dissolved through the bay's side and into a small harbor inside the island. Matoran's cries echoed off the harbor's stonewalls, bouncing and echoing so many times, there was a constant ringing sound, even if no one was speaking. The Matoran tied the chip down and Feron lowered the gangplank. The Toa walked off the ship and were greeted by several Fe-Matoran.

"Greeting Toa of the Great Spirit, and welcome to the island of Nynrah. I am called Waxia. I am head of our operations here." Lesovikk began to introduce himself.

"I am…"

"Lesovikk, first Toa of Air. Yes, our friend Umbra has told us all about you and your team. I see everyone is here. Nikila, Toa of Lighting; Tasar, Toa of Fire; Desba; Toa of Sonics; Feron, Toa of Iron; Potreu, Toa of Stone; Totron, Toa of Gravity; and Galka, Toa of Water. I must say it is an honor to have the first Toa team here to see our work."

"Yes, what exactly are we here to see, Waxia?" asked Feron.

"Axxon did not tell you?" asked Waxia. The Toa shook their heads and the Matoran of Iron smiled. "Well then, follow me to our building chambers."

The Fe-Matoran lead the Toa down a nearby hallway to a large metallic door. One of the other Fe-Matoran entered a complex combination on a keypad and the door opened. Inside the room, it was cool and damp. Several more Matoran were in this room, among them several Onu and Ko-Matoran. The lighting was surprising light, despite it not coming from lightstones or the outside suns. The room appeared at first to be barren, except for six silver pillars around the center, which the Matoran seemed to be working on. Waxia yelled to one of the Ko-Matoran to come down from his pillar. He nodded, set down a strange looking tool and walked towards the Toa.

"This is Grefar, our chief engineer on our project. He was one of the most talented designers on Artakha, and we called him here to help on our project. He was responsible for the creation of your weapons and masks."

"An honor to finally meet you. I assume your masks and weapons are in perfect order and function?" he asked.

"Yeah, the masks work amazing." Said Nikila.

"Yes, yours was especially difficult to get the right combination of disks, but after several bugs were worked out, it was a masterpiece. I believe it was the last one ever created after I left."

"What is this project you've been working on?" asked Totron.

"You didn't tell them?" Grefar whispered to Waxia.

"Nobody has. I wanted it to be more of a surprise."

"So Axxon didn't ever tell them what they were coming here to see?"

"No, he did fail to mention that before he left us." Said Tarsa grimly.

"Well, that will make it all the better. You see, Mata Nui has created six new Toa, and they are the most powerful in existence right now. They need to be transported to Metru Nui, though the Great Spirit wants it done secretly. So he had us come up with these." He whirled around and displayed the six pillars to the Toa.

"We call them simply, 'Toa Canisters.' They are a one-person transport and as far as our research shows, can only be used by Toa or someone of equal power and size. They are lightweight, incredibly fast, can be steered telepathically and can even pass through solid rock. They are the perfect transport for a Toa going anywhere in the universe."

"Very impressive. Is this solid protosteel?" asked Feron, examining the nearest canister.

"Yes. We receive chunks of it from various islands and then melt it down and recast it into the shapes we need." Said Waxia.

"So who wants to test it?" asked Grefar excitedly.

"I will." Said Tarsa.

"Are you sure Tarsa? I think we should check out the rest of the Matoran's works so we can get back to our friends." Said Lesovikk.

"Oh this is all we are supposed to show you Toa." Said Waxia. "Mata Nui wants to make sure these are fully operational, and we need Toa to do that. After that, you may go back home."

"Alright then, let's go before it gets to dark." Said Lesovikk.

The Toa followed the Matoran outside to a small bay where one of the test canisters had been beached. The Waxia was setting up a control booth nearby and Grefar was walking Tarsa through the test run. Lesovikk was on edge. The sooner they got this done, the sooner they could all go home, and it was just taking too long. Lesovikk saw something. It was a flicker of movement among the rocks. He stared at the spot of the movement, but all he could see was the shadow of a cloud passing overhead. He turned back to see Tarsa walking to talk to Desba and Feron. He took this opportunity to approach Waxia.

"How long is this going to take?" He asked in an undertone.

"Not very long. Long enough for you to get the ship ready to leave I suppose." He said, careful to not make eye contact. Lesovikk turned away from Waxia to look at his team. They were grouped together talking animatedly about Tarsa's test run of the canister. He had wrapped his arm around Galka and was laughing out loud with her and Totron especially.

Then he saw it. Another flash of movement. He went to cry out, but couldn't. And then he saw them. Zyglak. Nearly a hundred of the reptilian creatures came pouring over the rocks. He watched as his teammates turned, only to met by their primitive blades. They all dropped to the ground. But there was no time to morn his friends. Lesovikk dove and grabbed Waxia and Grefar. Stuffing them inside the canister, he commanded the craft to sail away from the island. The hatch shut and it drifted out to sea. Lesovikk drew his blade and turned to the Zyglak. A squad was now descending on him. He blasted them away with a jet of air. They went flying, but he knew it wouldn't be enough to defeat them. Zyglak were highly immune to elemental attack. Another one charged at him, and he deflected its attack and kicked it away. He then parried another blow from a Zyglak blade and slashed the creature across the chest. More were now coming over the rocks, crude blades drawn to kill.

_There's no other option. _Though Lesovikk. _I have to go nova._

Sheathing his sword, he closed his eyes and began to focus his powers. The Zyglak were shocked by this behavior. They did not know if the Toa was surrendering or getting ready for another attack. He could hear the Zyglak screeching and garbled speech, the roar of the surf, but they started to fade as he watched his teammates. The sound was gone now. The Zyglak seemed to be moving to slow motion. They bounced nervously as they waited for the Toa's next move. Then one charged. Lesovikk unleashed the blast. Air rushed out from all sides with hurricane force winds. The Zyglak were sent flying in all directions. Most flew out to sea, but some were splattered against the many rock faces around the bay. Lesovikk continued to unleash the blast as more and more Zyglak were sent flying. Finally, the last one flew and struck a rock spire to Lesovik's left, killing it instantly.

Lesovikk collapsed. He couldn't move; the amount of energy he had used had almost depleted him completely. He began to drag himself towards his fallen comrades. It was a sickening site. Totron was clutching a spear in his left hand and holding his mid section with the other. Galka and Tarsa were still clutching each other in a one armed hug, shock expressions fixed on their masks. Then he saw Nikila. She was lying next to Desba, her face to the ground. As he looked closer he saw her chest moving in small, short contractions. He crawled over and rolled her over. She was alive.

"Lesovikk…" she whispered.

"Yes Nikila, its me." He answered, his voice breaking.

"Lesovikk…"

"Hold on Nikila, please just hold on."

"Lesovikk…remember our friends…"

"Yes, were going to go see them. Just hold on…"

"Protect…the Matoran, Lesovikk. Always protect the Matoran…"

And with that, Nikila's heartlight gave a final flash, and stopped. Nikila was gone. They were all gone. He had failed them. He was alone.


	2. Chapter 2

The Hiatus Chronicles

Chapter Two

Lesovikk's Return

The Pit.

Several months before the Toa Nuva reach Karda Nui.

"It is not your fault, you know. Even if you had warned them, they still would have fallen." Said Sarda.

"I know that now Sarda, bur for the next thousand years I was unable to tell myself that. I would have horrible nightmares about it. Or dream so wonderful, they would make me want to kill myself. It was horrific for those first thousand years. But Nikila's last words kept me going. I don't know if I would still be here if not for those few words." Said Lesovikk.

"So where did you go next?" Sarda asked.

"Back home. And there I found even more sorrow and grief."

Lesovikk's homeland.

Almost 100,000 years ago.

Lesovikk's canister grounded ashore and the Toa of Air stumbled out.

"Hello!" he called to the Matoran town. No answer followed. Expecting the worst, he withdrew his sword and proceeded into the town square with caution.

"Hello Toa Lesovikk." Came a familiar voice. Lesovikk turned to see the island's Turaga standing next to a empty building, looking at the at his feet.

"Turaga, where is everyone?" he asked again. The Turaga smirked.

"Can you not see for yourself? They are gone."

"Where have they gone? What happened?"

"They were in need of some…restoration."

"Where did you send them, Turaga?" asked Lesovikk in an hardened voice.

"The only place were Matoran like them belong!" The Turaga roared.

"You didn't…"

"Yes I did, Lesovikk. They are all failures! They have no respect for my rule! THEY MUST BE REPAIRED!"

Lesovikk leaped at the Turaga and pinned him to the ground; Holding his blade to the Turaga's neck

"You're a monster, and I should rid you of this world." The Turaga was now aware of his situation. His eyes filled with panic as he saw the blade hovering over his neck. "But I have a better idea. I am going to go to Karzanhi; I am going to rescue my friend and take them somewhere safe. Somewhere far from you. That will be far worst than death for you. An entire island to yourself, and no one to follow your rule. It will give you something to think about beside your tyranny." Lesovikk gave the Turaga a shove and walked to the canister. He could hear the Turaga's cries from the village. He turned to see a large creature grab the protesting Turaga and disappear with him.

_Serves him right. _Thought Lesovikk as he boarded the canister. _Let him rot in the Pit. Maybe he can make a few friends down there. _The canister reacted to his presents and took off into the ocean, leaving behind Lesovikk's once proud island, now no more than a speck of land among a vast sea.

After several days at sea, the canister beached on a strange looking island. It was rocky and barren, with little vegetation. A daunting cloud hung over the island's center. Although it was filled with lighting, Lesovikk could not hear any thunder coming from it. Ignoring this slight irregularity, he proceeded inland. His feet scraped against the stone ground as he made his towards to the center of Karzanhi. He had heard terrible stories about this place. It was said that Karzanhi was created to repair the Matoran of the universe so they could work better. Instead, Karzanhi was not able to perform this task, so he now held the Matoran prisoner, fearing what might happen if he sent them back with out repairing them. The land quickly funneled into a narrow strip as Lesovikk made his way inland. He traveled for what seemed liked days as he made his way. Up ahead, he could see what looked like a small tunnel. He entered it and took a lightstone down from the wall. The tunnel was dry and hot, like a sauna. It was hard to breath the low-pressured air, but he soon got used to it. About mid way through the tunnel, his lightstone began to fade. He went back and plucked a new one he continued forward. Again, the lightstone began to fade. Casting them both aside, picked up a third stone and moved forward. It too began to fade as he neared the same spot. The thought hit him like a blow to the gut. The tunnel absorbed all light. It was impenetrable. He would have to walk through it without the aid of his stones. Taking a deep breath of hot, stale air, he continued forward. He watched as the stones light faded away completely. Darkness was now all around him, pressing on him like a thousand pound boulder. After several agonizing minutes, the lightstones recovered their glow and Lesovikk hurried out of the tunnel as fast as he could. He reached the mouth of the tunnel and leaned over to catch his breath.

He jumped as he saw a crumpled Toa body lying on the ground. The Toa was a Toa of Plasma and wore a Kanohi Suletu. Remembering how he could not burry his own teammates, he found a patch of soft clay and dug a grave for the Toa. Taking the Plasma-Toa's mask off, he lowered the body into the hole and pressed the mask into the clay. He then blasted the clay with his air power until it became hard. The mask was now securely locked in the rock grave. With a final look at the Suletu, he turned and continued down the isthmus.

Night soon fell and Lesovikk made himself a small shelter between two large boulders. He slept through the night without instance and awoke the next morning at dawn and continued on his way to the realm of Karzanhi. After more several hours of walking, he came across an immense arch that stretched all the way across the isthmus. Not wanting to take any chances, he picked up a rock and threw it through the archway. The rock sailed through it without instance. He picked up slightly bigger rock and placed it halfway in and halfway out of the arch. Again, nothing happened. He then pushed the rock to the other side of the arch and tired to pull it back. The space between the archway became black and filled with little specks of gold. Lesovikk pulled his hand back. This was a one-way arch. That would force him to find a new way off the island after he went through it. He shook the thought aside. He could figure that out after he saved the Matoran. Walking through the arch, he looked around for a sign of an entrance to Karzanhi. Finding none, he turned left, and began to walk that way.

The surroundings were just as blank as the mainland he had landed on. Huge mountains surrounded the realm of Karzanhi, while huge cliff faces surrounded the path on which Lesovikk walked. It was like a set of consecutive bowls, from which few could enter, and even fewer could escape.

Ahead on the horizon, Lesovikk could see a figure. As he approached it, the figured turned out to be a Matoran, standing with its back turned to him. However, the Matoran was not a Matoran anymore.

By ways unknown to him, the Matoran had become solid stone. He took a step closer. Yes, the Matoran had become just like the surrounding rock around him. It looked like a Po-Matoran sculpture, it was so detailed. As he took another step closer, a scream emitted from all around him. At first he thought it was the solidified Matoran, but he soon realized the horrific truth. Just as the Matoran had become dead like the rock, the rock had become alive like the Matoran had once been. The scream filled the air, echoing at a deafening level all around the Toa of Air. Covering his ears, he ran away from the statue.

As he rounded a corner, he met a Manas Crab. "Manas" was the Matoran word for "monster", and these creatures were named rightfully so. About a bio and a half wide and immensely powerful, some beings considered them more than just Rahi. It was also a known fact that no Toa could ever defeat one alone. Pulling his sword out, he fired a blast of air at the Manas. The blast did little more than cool the beast off. The Manas then charged at Lesovikk. He fired a more concentrated blast of air, but the Manas continued his charge. Lesovikk sheathed his sword and began to run at the Manas. As it swung out with one of its massive claws, he leaped into the air, and fired another blast of air. The blast propelled him over the Manas and onto a nearby cliff top. More Manas were now arriving and crowding around the base of where Lesovikk now stood. With one last look at the petrified Matoran, he turned and walked to find shelter for the night.

The next day Manas Crabs surround the path between Karzanhi's Mountains and the cliff on which Lesovikk now stood. As he looked into the realm its self, it sent a cold shiver down his back. The land its self was just as twisted as its ruler. It was littered with factories and warehouses, no doubt were his friends were right now. Fires raged in most of the building, spewing tons of black smoke into the sky. There were several waterfall-like cascades, as well as the constant sounds of Matoran screaming and the clanging of tools. As he gazed into the twisted land, he recalled Nikila's last words to him.

"Protect…the Matoran, Lesovikk. Always protect the Matoran…"

"I will Nikila." He said aloud. "And my Mata Nui have mercy on all of those who will stand in my way."

Several more days passed, and still Lesovikk had been unable to reach the realm of Karzanhi. He had just awoken from a terrible set of dreams. He had spent most of the night before planning an attack strategy for today, but every time he fell asleep, the had been awakened by a nightmare featuring the Manas crushing yet another attempt by him. This had lead Lesovikk to come up with increasingly elaborate plans to ensure they could not fail. Finally he just decided he would charge head long into the mountains and hold nothing back. He waited for the Manas to leave him with a gap and charged. The Manas saw him and began to stampede towards him. He stopped and began to focus his power. At first, nothing happened. Then the Manas began to slow. Some were making gargling noises, others made cough like noises.

_Yes, _Thought Lesovikk. _It's working! There isn't enough air to support them all. _

One by one, the Manas stopped their charge. He continued to hold the vacuum as more and more of the Manas were choking ahead him.

_Wait…Wait…Wait…NOW!_

Lesovikk released the vacuum. Thousands of square of bios of air came rushing back to the area. With a sound like a thunderclap, the blast of air sent the swarm of Manas Crabs flying. Running towards the mountains, he used his focus his powers to create jets of air lift himself off the ground. As he neared the mountains, he began to lose height. He looked down to see several new Manas Crabs clustered below him. He only needed a few more bios…

WHACK!

A Manas claw stuck him square in the chest. He was sent flying backwards and hit the opposite face cliff hard. He then landed hard onto the ground below. Lesovikk rolled over to see all of the Manas now closing in on him. Focusing his mask power, he duplicated the Manas' incredible speed and ran up the rock face as fast as he could. Leaping at the last second, he grabbed the cliff face and pulled himself up onto the top of the face.

The Manas once again grouped at the bottom of the rock face and began to claw up at the Toa of Air. The power of the Manas was almost too much for his mask to focus. He collapsed as what little energy he had left began to fade. As his breathing settled, he looked into the realm of Karzanhi. The fires were still burning, the cascades were still falling and the Matoran were still screaming. Nothing he had done was good enough to save his friends.

"Protect…the Matoran, Lesovikk. Always protect the Matoran…"

Nikila's words echoed in Lesovikk's head. He could not save his friends, but he could go and protect those who needed his help now. As staggered to his feet, he made a vow. A vow to protect the Matoran of the universe at all costs, and some day return to Karzanhi to rescue his friends. He would keep true to Nikila's dying wish, and protect all Matoran until his death. And with that, he turned his back onto Karzanhi, and faced his new destiny. A destiny of choice. A destiny of deliverance. A destiny…of redemption.


End file.
